Leeds United player ratings v Bolton – Getting the job done

I actually went into the game believing it would be easy and finally the goals would start flowing freely, I was wrong. If a game could define Leeds then this was it, making it harder than it needed to be in every aspect but thankfully, getting the job done.

Kiko Casilla – 8 – Will Kiko ever get a clean sheet for Leeds? Probably not, but it’s through no fault of his own. The save he made early on at 0-0 where he tipped it over the bar was an unbelievably good reaction save.

Luke Ayling – 7 – A better showing from Ayling but not without a few scary moments where he decided to lay it off on the edge of the box to a Bolton player.

Pontus Jansson – 7 – A slow start where he seemed to be trying too much when only a simple ball was needed. His towering header to end the game in our favour was brilliant and very apt for him.

Liam Cooper – 8 – Can’t say I noticed Cooper do anything wrong throughout the game which sums up his season pretty well, despite his consistency he still seems to be underrated.

Gjanni Alioski – 6 – I did see some suggest Alioski as our MOTM yesterday and whilst I understand the thought process, I’m going to have to disagree. The amount of times in the first half especially that he had the perfect opportunity to cross the ball and he either hit the first man, or took too long and lost the opportunity, was ridiculous. Things like that are the reason we never win games as comfortably as we should do and it needs sorting out.

Kalvin Phillips – 6 – A quieter game for KP where he didn’t really do too much wrong but had less chance to shine as he was playing centre-back for large parts of the game. Slicing the ball out for a corner right at the end of the game was not good for our heart rates, Kalvin.

Mateusz Klich – 8 – Klich was all over the pitch yesterday, harrying Bolton at every opportunity and never letting them settle. He seems to play much better with KP rather than Adam Forshaw, for some reason.

Tyler Roberts – 8 – Roberts was probably our MOTM for me, so I was surprised when Bielsa took him off. He made some excellent runs beyond the defence which we do lack at times, he’s quick with his feet and his turn of pace won us a penalty that was so obvious even Leeds couldn’t be robbed of it.

Jack Harrison – 5 – The most inconsistent player in a Leeds shirt this season, when he’s off it like he was yesterday he is a literal passenger. The return of Jack Clarke would be greatly appreciated.

Pablo Hernandez – 8 – Pablo was unplayable at times yesterday, his final ball is so far ahead of anybody else on this team it’s a joke. If only we could finish a few more of those chances.

Patrick Bamford – 7 – It was great to see Bamford make the penalty his and finish it off well, his overall game is very good at the minute he’s just missing the finishing touch, he could quite easily have had another 4 or 5 goals over the last 3 games. When he gets back to his best, the goals will start flowing.